Black Label [EN]: Chapter 264

Black Label Episode 15

Paris Fashion Week

The Paris Fashion Week, along with New York, Milan, and London Fashion Weeks, is one of the world’s four major fashion weeks, and boasts the longest tradition and the most influence.

It essentially dictates the direction of global fashion every new season, and fashion trends worldwide shift dramatically based on what’s shown in Paris.

The defining characteristics of Paris Fashion Week are elegance, diverse sensibilities, artistic expression focused on craftsmanship, and a strong sense of aestheticism.

Paris, the center of world fashion, was buzzing.

As the world’s largest event held in Paris approached, countless people began to gather throughout the city.

“I really want to attend the Wallflower show…”

A college student with a large DSLR camera around his neck said, his voice filled with longing.

He was a fashion student at the Belgian Royal Academy of Fine Arts.

He had saved up for the trip to broaden his horizons and gain experience in Paris.

His name was Bart.

As he kept looking around, his girlfriend, Sarah, replied, a hint of skepticism in her voice.

“Wouldn’t it be difficult for ordinary people like us to attend the Wallflower show?”

“Sarah, we’re students at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, not ordinary people, right?”

“That doesn’t mean we’re famous or industry influencers, does it?”

After the horrific terrorist attack in Paris in 2015, all fashion brands have kept their show locations strictly secret for security reasons.

Unless you have enough influence or recognition to receive an invitation from the brand in advance, you won’t even be able to find out the location.

“What should I do…”

Having barely set foot in Paris with the money he had saved up over the past few years while working part-time, studying, and using his allowance…

He was desperate to see all the shows of the designers he admired, no matter what it took.

“There’s a way,” his girlfriend, Sarah, said, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“What is it?” he asked, leaning in with anticipation.

After a moment of silence, she spoke. “If we follow those people discreetly, we should be able to enjoy a few shows without any trouble, right?”

After speaking, Sarah pointed to the passersby on the street with her chin.

During Paris Fashion Week, all the celebrities in the fashion industry flock to Paris.

The same was true now.

Everywhere you looked, there were people who seemed to be fashion enthusiasts, and…

Among them, famous editors, bloggers, or influencers occasionally caught his eye.

“Let’s find someone famous first.”

“Then?”

“We have to follow them closely!”

If you can find out the fashion show location, getting in isn’t too difficult.

Thanks to this…

Celebrities had no choice but to inadvertently lead ordinary people around like a pied piper.

“Oh, oh, oh?” Bart muttered, his eyes widening.

“Oh, that person!”

It was Lee Kang-jun, who was recently appointed as the head designer of Saint Laurent, the first Asian to do so, and who had made a name for himself by leading the brand for several seasons.

“That person is ‘Little Lee,’ isn’t he?”

“Little Lee?”

“Yes, that person is definitely…”

Kang-jun, who was Wallflower’s first employee, began to make a name for himself and revealed in interviews with various media outlets that he was the first employee of the Wallflower brand, and…

“I broadened my horizons thanks to Lee [referring to the founder of Wallflower].”

Thanks to this, he became more of a hot topic in the industry and was frequently mentioned, eventually earning the affectionate title of ‘Little Lee.’

“Oh, let’s follow him quickly!”

Little Lee is known to be very close to Lee of Wallflower.

Surely…

If they followed him, they would be able to arrive at the ‘Wallflower’ showroom.

* * *

The first destination was the Tuileries Garden located near the Louvre Museum.

Little Lee, Lee Kang-jun, took a seat in the Tuileries Garden, and…

Clap clap clap clap!

He enjoyed Owens’ show held at Carrée du Louvre, where brands such as Chanel and Louis Vuitton had also held shows.

“See, I told you we could get something if we followed him, right?”

“I guess so…”

“Let’s watch Owens’ show first and then follow him again.”

Soon, they wrote down their impressions of Owens’ show and noteworthy points in their notebooks.

“Oh, he’s moving!”

When Kang-jun got up from his seat again and started moving somewhere, they also hurriedly got up and started chasing after him.

The next destination was the 8th arrondissement of Paris.

It was in front of the symbolic glass dome of the Grand Palais, where Chanel had already held several shows.

“Oh my gosh, it’s a Chanel show!”

At this point, they thought it was really lucky to have followed Little Lee.

Chanel!

It was a brand that was difficult to get an invitation to unless you were a high-profile celebrity.

“I never thought the day would come when I would see a Chanel show!”

They spent the whole day following Little Lee, watching one premium brand show after another.

After watching Chanel’s show, they watched the shows of famous premium brands Adam, Ralph Ruwen, and Lanvin at the French National School of Fine Arts [École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts]….

They watched the shows of Dries Van Noten and Sonia Rykiel in embassies or private museums and theaters located on the outskirts of the city.

“Is the Wallflower show not today…” Bart wondered aloud.

Eventually, after a long day, they returned to the Palais Royal area, which was like a resting place for those who had come to Paris to see Fashion Week.

Café Kitsuné.

The trendy and stylishly decorated café was crowded with people who had attended all kinds of shows at Fashion Week and came to relax.

“We even followed him to the café…” Sarah muttered quietly, picking up a piece of waffle on the table with a fork, and Bart muttered briefly.

“I think we’ve seen a total of five shows today…”

“That’s right.”

“Fashion Week lasts for several days, so it might not be today.”

* * *

Thanks to accidentally meeting Little Lee, they were able to follow him and watch as many as five premium brand shows.

It was like watching more shows than those who followed famous photographers or movie directors by looking at their SNS [Social Networking Service] accounts….

“You know that the original purpose is the Wallflower show, right?” Sarah reminded him.

“Of course.”

“I want to see the Wallflower show no matter what…”

Wallflower had already established itself in the center of the fashion world.

Even these two admired Lee and wanted to become designers….

There was even a rumor that people were hanging Wallflower’s brand logo in famous overseas leather academies, as a symbol of aspiration.

Even those who dream of becoming a Meister [master craftsman] would want to work in the Wallflower brand house’s atelier [workshop] someday in the distant future.

“Speaking of the Wallflower show, I wonder if it will be held at night?”

“I don’t know…”

“There are quite a few brands that hold shows at night, right?”

Other brands might be different, but if it was a brand with Wallflower’s status, countless influencers would attend….

At least to be considerate of their schedules, he didn’t think they would hold the show at a late hour.

“Then, will the Wallflower show really be held tomorrow or the day after tomorrow…”

It was then.

“Bart, where’s Little Lee?”

“What suddenly…”

“He’s gone!”

Little Lee, who had been sitting at a table far away just a moment ago, had disappeared in an instant.

“Oh, where did he go…”

Soon, Sarah packed her bags and shouted urgently.

“Let’s find him!”

They got up from their seats in a hurry and began to wander around the Palais Royal area, chasing after Little Lee’s whereabouts….

“There!”

They succeeded in spotting Little Lee’s back, who was walking leisurely with his hands in his pockets in the distance.

“Let’s follow him quickly!”

They were convinced that he was moving to see a show held at night.

Tap tap tap tap!

They almost ran after Little Lee, turned the corner, turned again, and entered the alley.

“What, this is a complete outskirts area, where are we going?”

“Accommodation?”

“There’s no way he would have booked accommodation in such a remote place…”

Before long, they lost Little Lee again.

After turning the corner and turning again along the narrow alley, there was a fork in the road….

He was nowhere to be seen in any direction.

“We missed him…” Sarah said with a look of despair.

“Now, can we only watch the shows while monitoring the movements of various influencers on Instagram again…”

The two students were in a situation where it was no exaggeration to say that they had spent all their fortune with the single-minded determination to watch Fashion Week.

“At this rate, we might end up just looking at exhibitions or pop-up stores with published schedules and go back…”

It was a truly desperate situation.

Step step-.

Then, a young man began to walk in from the entrance of the alley….

“Hey!” Sarah ran towards him with a desperate heart and immediately began to ask questions.

“Are you going to see a show now?”

Soon, the young man, who was wearing a hat pulled down low, sunglasses, and even a mask, hesitated for a moment and nodded once….

“Could you take us with you?”

When she said pleadingly, the young man immediately hesitated without saying anything.

Soon, Bart also joined in and began to continue speaking, pretending to beg with his hands.

“Please, I beg you…”

At that, the young man asked the two of them cautiously.

“Are you students?”

Soon, Bart and Sarah nodded at the same time and each said a word.

“Yes, we are students at the Belgian Royal Academy of Fine Arts.”

“Actually, we were following a celebrity and lost him…”

At that, the young man asked again.

“Celebrity?”

Soon, Sarah replied again.

“Yes, Little Lee, I don’t know if you know him, but he is a founding member of Wallflower and now the head designer of Saint Laurent…”

The young man asked back.

“Kang-jun?”

Soon, the two of them widened their eyes and replied.

“You know him after all.”

“Yes, that’s him.”

At that, the young man nodded and muttered.

“Kang-jun came.”

As the two of them looked dazed at the ambiguous words.

“What is your favorite brand?”

Soon, the two of them answered at the same time without any hesitation.

“Wallflower.”

At that, the young man briefly replied, “Passed,” and continued speaking in a soft tone.

“I will guide you.”

“Yes?”

“To the Wallflower fashion show venue.”

As the two of them looked dazed, the young man took off his mask and sunglasses….

“You said you were students, right?”

“Yes….”

“There is an employment program.”

That’s how the young man’s face was revealed.

“Lee….”

Soon, Jae-seung said with a smile.

“If you submit your documents to the company before graduation, I will give you the opportunity to work.”

At that moment.

“Oh my gosh….” Sarah’s legs gave way and she collapsed on the spot….

“Sarah, are you okay?”

Jae-seung said with a smile on his face.

“Come on, follow me.”

Then he added.

“I’ve prepared a really amazing stage, so you can look forward to it.”

Like that…

“It’s not a dream, is it?”

“It must be a dream.”

“Please, please….”

The two college students, who had spent all their fortune to visit Paris Fashion Week, succeeded in creating a memory they would never forget.

They were able to be guided to the fashion show of the brand they respected the most, by the designer they respected the most.

Two hours.

It was two hours before the Wallflower show.